29 Dec, 2008 YEAR ON YEAR
At the end of last year I wrote despondently how it had been a year when we did not even nearly manage to get done the things that we had hoped for.
This year bears little resemblance in comparison. The stagnation that settled on us last year rolled off finally around April when both Charlie and I got together to rehearse for some early Prom shows and It was then that “the creative lights came back on” according to my reckoning.
We had unfortunately delayed the beginning of work on our album throughout the end of ’07. Basically although we had collected a fair amount of quality ideas, I was nevertheless having problems kick starting my engine.
And so it remained until in April this year while sitting on a terrace in Spain that Charlie enthusiastically introduced me to his new phone by playing me an mp3 of an idea that he had been working on in Rome. I was immediately entranced with the piece and within minutes had a lyrical idea buzzing around in my head. I knew right there and then that the idea I had just heard would be the catalyst to get us going into operational mode and onwards into the future with a brand new record. It turned out to be exactly so!
A few weeks later we had booked Rockfield studios and set about a schedule that first of all saw us go home to Glasgow for a month or so of writing and demoing the collected song ideas so far. Pleased with the haul up until then, Charlie somehow broke away and upped the ante by spontaneously coming up with new tunes almost on a daily basis. Additionally with both Gordy Goudie and Jez Coad chipping in with a great tune a piece – as they did on B+W 0505050 – our confidence was naturally at an all time high when we packed up in June and headed to London for Nelson Mandela’s Birthday party.
The bash in Hyde Park was unforgettable, an honour for us to be involved with. Playing in front of Mandela was in great contrast to the first concert some twenty years ago when we were angrily calling for the release from jail of a genuine freedom fighter. It was a much happier day this time, and within our short performance we probably did ourselves no harm at least in reminding or introducing ourselves to a worldwide television audience of countless millions.
And so to Wales we went at the start of August and stayed right thru until early October. Working fastidiously, the band bringing so much energy and life to the already written melodies, Jez Coad in turn facilitating everyone in order to get the best out of each of us. It worked! A big ballsy record full of atmospheric pop melodies and fair amount of invention is on its way, and if you like it even half as much as we do then it will easily have been worth the effort.
The last couple of months have of course been all about playing live and giving all we have to our audiences that deserve only the best in turn for the amazing amount of encouragement that has been bestowed on us through our journey as Simple Minds. The UK tour was overwhelmingly successful; the highlight for me being Belfast where I felt the band hit a level without precedent.
Much more of that is planned for next year with the intention of touring worldwide to include North and South America, Far East, Oz and New Zealand. Additionally we have already written and demoed ideas for an album beyond the immediate up and coming as evidentially the beat goes on
What a difference a year makes!
Jim Kerr